Page 53 of The Forsaken Heir
Hanging up, I turned to go, but looked at Vince first.
“Are you going back to your quarters?”
Vince shook his head, and made a face like he’d sucked on a lemon.
“Nah. Dad might still be pissed.” He glanced around at the massive suite. “Can I spend the night here?”
My quarters were large, second only to my father’s, and itdidcontain a small guest room on the far end.
“Sure,” I said. “Just for tonight, though.”
He grinned at me. “You’re the best friend I ever had, Aurelius.”
His statement struck me as heartwarming and sweet. I hoped that one day my friend might find someone who could take him as he was, quirks and all. He was too good of a person to live his life alone, constantly under the shadow of his disappointed father.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” I said.
When I arrived at Elle’s room, I could hear laughter inside. That was a good sign. I knocked. A few seconds later, the door opened. Delphine peered out, a cautious look on her face.
“Oh. Lord, uh, Aurelius? Were we being too loud?”
“Aurelius?” Elle said, appearing at the door. “Hey.”
“Good evening, ladies,” I said, trying, and failing, to keep my eyes off Elle. “You were most certainlynotbeing too loud. I simply stopped by to let you know that dinner is on the way. I assume you’re getting hungry again.”
“Thank you,” Elle said. Her green eyes shone and sparkled in the light of the chandelier overhead. “We were just saying we were getting hungry.”
“Of course. Anything for guests of House Decimus. Well…” I trailed off awkwardly. Part of me wanted to spend more time with her, but the other part told me it wasn’t proper, especially not with her friend there. “Uh, I’m going to bed soon. It’s been a long day. If you need anything more, you remember where my room is?”
“I do,” Elle said, giving a slight nod.
Delphine glanced from me, to Elle, and back to me again, a knowing grin on her face.
“Good night, ladies,” I said, bowing my head slightly before I departed.
When I got back to my rooms, Vince had already climbed into his bed and fallen asleep. His faint snores were the only sound in the room. Though it was still fairly early, I undressed and got into bed.
Turning on my side, I gazed out the window. The rain had subsided, leaving a sky full of broken clouds and a milky half-moon. Sleep took a while to find me, though. For nearly an hour, I kept thinking about the attack on Elle. The savagery of the half-shifted men who’d come to kill her. There would’ve been no warning either. Not even a chance for Elle to apologize for whatever imagined slight she’d made against her family. It was so fucking strange. Elle acted as though she’d expected this, butsurelyher family weren’t this bloodthirsty. Eventually my eyes did slip closed, and I slid into sleep.
“Good morning,” Elle whispered into my ear.
Rolling over, I found her lying in my bed, an adorable grin on her face.
“Elle? When did you come into my room?”
“I came to thank you for saving me,” she said, peeling the covers off.
My jaw fell open at the sight of her naked body, and I took in the swell of her breasts, dark nipples, curving thighs and a round ass that made me salivate.
“What? You want to?—”
“I want to thank you,” she said.
“There’s no…uh… no need to thank me,” I muttered, unable to pull my eyes from her gorgeous body. Her heat radiated toward me, and I wanted to fall into it.
“I think I do,” she said, and her hand slid under the covers, gliding across my stomach, going lower, brushing the waistband of my pajamas, cool fingers slipping under?—
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.
